1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water heating apparatus, and more particularly, to a water heating apparatus having a hot water supply tube provided with a heat exchanger having a maximized heat transfer area and a refrigerator having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hot water may be obtained from a conventional refrigerator. A method of generating hot water from the conventional refrigerator is disclosed in Korea utility model laid open publication No. 119072 (Mar. 12, 1998). In the above prior art, drinking water fed externally is heated by heat emitted from a condenser, stored in a hot storage tank and taken when necessary.
As anther method of generating hot water, there is Korea Patent laid open publication No. 199980 (Mar. 8, 1999). In the above method, heater is installed outside water supply tube, and drinking water is heated by heater, stored in a hot storage tank and taken when necessary.
However, since the refrigerators according to the related arts store hot water in hot water storage tank and then use it, it has various disadvantages in that its use is very inconvenient, sanitation is poor and maintenance and repair are difficult.
In other words, once hot water stored in the hot water storage tank is taken in excess of a predetermined amount, water is again heated to generate hot water. This is inconvenient since users have to wait for a long time until the generated hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank.
If the users use the refrigerator for a long term period, foreign material is deposited on the hot water storage tank and thus the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank is spoiled to deteriorate sanitation. To this end, it is necessary to clean up the hot water storage tank periodically to get rid of the foreign material deposited on the hot water storage tank, which provides a difficulty to maintain and repair the refrigerator.
Also, an auxiliary heat source is needed additionally so as to generate hot water due to limitations in heat capacitance and heat transfer area of condenser or heater.